Marketing Ideas!

“If I couldn’t interrupt you, how would I reach you?”

This is virtually the first line in the new book by Dave Evans, “Social Media Marketing: an Hour a Day.” It’s in the About the Author section, before the table of contents. Most people won’t read this part of the book. But this is a very powerful question, one that every business — small and large — should be asking.

Here’s why: the traditional marketing and advertising system is broken. The traditional system is about buying advertising and interrupting people with your message. This system worked for a time. Yet, with the proliferation of products and media, we are now constantly bombarded with interruptions. Because there are so many messages, these interruptions have become background noise and is fairly easy to ignore. We now have caller-ID, TIVO, satellite radio, do-not-call lists, and more, all which allow us to choose the messages we want to hear.

And this is why social media, networking, and email marketing are so powerful. These media are based on the concept of permission marketing. When done correctly, you will receive permission to send messages to people who are interested in your ideas.

However, just because you get permission doesn’t mean you have a license to send any message. It must be an appropriate message, ideally something that is of value to your audience and to you. The way to achieve this is to be different. Or, as Seth Godin might say, be remarkable.

Here’s an example of what NOT to do: I receive an email newsletter from an independent restaurant near me that’s actually pretty good. I enjoy their food. But their emails are horrific. The content is obviously syndicated — mass-produced for restaurants — and every time I get one of their emails I cringe. It has (bad) jokes and information that I just don’t find interesting at all. And I’m not the only one who thinks this. It’s a running joke among my friends who are also on their list.

While I originally asked to receive their emails — thus giving them permission to market to me — they didn’t follow through with appropriate messaging. This good restaurant has lost me, a good customer. I haven’t gone there in probably two years. Not because of bad food or bad service, but because they abused their privileged to market to me. It’s left a bad taste in my mouth, literally and figuratively.

Here’s an example of what you SHOULD do: identify what makes your organization unique and then ask, “Who cares?” If  it really matters, tell people. Create your identity around it. Start a blog and write about it. Talk about it when you meet people, work it into your elevator pitch, put it on your business cards, and on your web site. If it really matters, people will notice. It will connect your organization with the people who like what makes you different. It will not be an interruption. It will be interesting. People will see it and they will tell others. Soon, you will have an email list full of people, subscribers to your blog, followers on Twitter — all of them eager to hear your message.

The restaurant I mentioned didn’t do this. Despite their good food, they are no longer different. They are just another restaurant. Actually, they are worse, because not that many restaurants know my email address and interrupt me. The owners of the restaurant probably don’t want to put the time into creating unique content or identifying an idea or differentiator that sufficiently answers the “who cares” question. And it shows.

A few weeks ago, at the eMarketing Techniques Conference, someone asked me about Twitter. After I gave him the lay of the land he said, “Wow. That means I could put a message out there about my upcoming event, and more people would know about it, right?”

While the answer to this question is technically “yes,” the more complete answer is “yes, but….” The part that’s missing is the idea of building relationships, building credibility, and establishing a transaction of mutual value.

While a lot of people — much  like my new friend — are interested in using some of the new social networking tools, they are using the technology without a clear understanding of why. It is fairly easy to use Facebook, LinkedIn, even Twitter. But “getting it” takes a bit longer.  Still, perhaps because of the (perceived) anonymity of the process, many people just jump in and use it as their virtual playground, with predicable results: None. These are the people who say social media doesn’t work, it’s a bunch of hooey, it’s for teenagers, etc.

Jim Collins wrote a whole chapter in Good to Great about how the great companies didn’t lean on technology to generate value. Instead, they created their strategies, looked hard at their goals, then used technology to accelerate their ability to achieve their goals. This is how I think the online social networks should be approached.

To that end, social media is really a virtual form of networking. The traditional form of networking, getting out of the office and meeting people face-to-face, is one of the most powerful, effective marketing and advertising tools in any small business toolbox. But it is not something that works quickly. It takes time. There are some unwritten rules about how to network (although I’m sure someone wrote a book on it, so I use the term “unwritten” loosely here), but most of these rules follow general rules of civility. Small talk is allowed, even encouraged, because you first need to establish some relationship with a person before you can have a serious conversation.

During your conversation, you may find out that someone is from the same part of the country you grew up in, or follows the same sports team. Suddenly, this person isn’t a stranger anymore, you share things — perhaps important things — and now it becomes easier to engage in matters of business.

While there are some great networking groups out there to help you meet people face-to-face, you can do some of the same things with the online social networking tools, such as Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, blogging software, even email marketing. However, for some reason, many people begin using these tools as though they have a license to skip the normal rules of engagement and jump directly to the “buy my stuff” portion of the conversation.

Here’s a great example: Through the use of Twitter, I was able to connect with Thom Singer — someone I wanted to meet, but haven’t had the opportunity to do so through my normal networking opportunities. Then, last night at the Austin Social Media Club meeting, I met Thom in person for the first time. Because of our shared experiences on Twitter, it was easy and natural to meet him for the first time and we were able to jump-start our “real” relationship. Without the use of social media, this meeting would have taken a lot longer to develop.

• While we’re talking about technology and good ol’ fashion manners, here’s an example of how you should be careful of what you say online. I think the most important aspect of this is not the mistake, but the follow up.
• Have you ever wondered where some companies dream up their logos, such as Morton Salt’s girl with the umbrella and the Jolly Green Giant? Wonder no more.
• This is what happens when you don’t do your research. For those not in the know, the Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers are mortal enemies. Think Red Sox/Yankees.

The Austin Twestival has come and gone, but the affect it had on the world is still palpable. My overall account of the event is available at the Inc Slinger’s blog. Still, there are some questions regarding the event, how it was done, and what the tangible results were. So, for that, I contacted Michelle Greer, one of the organizers for the event, for a quick email interview:

Q:How long ago did you start organizing the Austin Twestival?

Michelle Greer: We started organizing Twestival about a month ago. I wasn’t going to do it but a bunch of people offered to help, so it was hard to say no.

Q: Besides Twitter and word of mouth, did you use any other media or methods to raise awareness for this event?

MG: I believe in an integrated approach to marketing. Our emcee Josh Shepherd was on 101x, KGSR and K EYE. It seemed that most of our traffic came from people on Twitter or friends of people on Twitter though. We promoted it on Facebook and a lot of people put it in emails or blog posts.

Q: What was the final count on registered attendees for the event?

MG: We had 391 registered attendees and at least 50 walkups.

Q: Can you share the final dollars raised from the event for Charity Water?

MG: We are still waiting for one invoice to go through, but after the raffle, the ticket sales, and sponsorships, we raised $8868. LA and London raised just over $10k. Considering we are significantly smaller than both of these cities, I’d say, Austin rocks! Thank you for stepping up!

Q: If there’s anything else you’d like to add or share, please feel free! J

MG: My intended goal for this event was to raise money and awareness for charity:water. If you haven’t already, go to charity:water’s site and take a look at their cause. If you haven’t donated already, you can still add to Austin’s tally here. I have a bunch of t-shirts still, so if anyone wants to buy one for $10 with all profits going to charity:water, email me at michelle(at)michellesblog.net.

One of the first things the uninitiated say when I mention Twitter is “why do you care what other people are doing?”

It’s true the Twitter interface includes the ever-present question: What are you doing? But I submit this is perhaps the most misleading question ever.

Twitter Myth #1: Twitter is nothing more than a glorified Facebook status update.

Twitter isn’t about what you are doing “right now.” It’s about connecting, interacting, and having conversations (big or little).

Still not sure? Check out this Twitter case study about how, through the use of  Twitter, Austin and about 185 other communities around the world raised awareness and funds for a global charity.

If you were at Twestival, whether in Austin or any of the other locations, you could answer the Twitter question by stating: Saving the world. That’s pretty significant.

So, if you’re one of those that thinks Twitter is a superficial, teeny-boppy trend, you may want to think again.